Patna: The state cabinet today gave its nod to the “Bihar Building Byelaws 2014” to regulate construction activities in the state, paving the way for clearance of maps of multi-storied structures pending for the past two years.

Sharing the details of the state’s first building byelaws, cabinet secretariat department’s principal secretary B. Pradhan told reporters that the byelaws would be applicable in all the three urban local bodies — municipal corporation, council and nagar panchayat besides metropolitan areas, if notified.

Pradhan said the byelaws had been simplified for getting the maps passed for constructing residential buildings on plots measuring up to 300sqm.

Till now, building maps were being approved under the provisions of Patna Planning Standard and Building Byelaws 1981.

The urban development and housing department had imposed a ban on approval of maps for any multi-storied building over the height of 11m till the proposed Bihar Municipal Building Byelaws came into effect through a notification issued on December 13, 2012.

According to sources, people having 300sqm of land could start construction for residential purpose and get their maps passed later.

According to the new byelaws, the height of buildings would be measured from plinth. Submission of “structural stability certificate” has been made mandatory for getting maps approved for multi-storied buildings of 15m height and above, Pradhan, the principal secretary said.

No new construction would be permitted up to 200m on the either side of the boundary earmarked by the irrigation department along the Ganga, Pradhan said.

According to the byelaws applicable to both old and new areas, people can construct residential buildings up to the height of 7m along the roads having width of up to 12ft.

Rainwater harvesting has been made mandatory for all types of buildings, Pradhan said, adding that the byelaw has the provision for developing an “integrated township” with a minimum land of 5 hectares along roads not less than 30m wide.

Builders sounded upbeat after the approval of the new building byelaws. “We were eagerly awaiting the new byelaws for the past two years. With the seal on the building byelaws today, projects worth of around Rs 2,000-2,500 crore would take off now,” said Sachin Chandra, the state chairman of Builders Association of India.

Besides the seal on the “Bihar Building Byelaws 2014”, 67 decisions were taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

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